A unique and distinctive culture emerges from the Burning Man experience. Rooted in the values expressed by the Ten Principles, this culture is manifested around the globe through art, communal effort, and innumerable individual acts of self-expression. To many, it is a way of life.

Will there be any compassion for people who traveled a long way and simply have no ability to buy a ticket because they're not for sale? Will there be more stow-a-ways hiding in RVs this year?
It sounds like there will be all sorts of new problems this year.

What form should that compassion take? Wait until there's a busfull and take them back to Reno? Well, there's no insurance coverage, so that won't happen.
Let them in? hoo-boy that would be a very sticky wicket next year. Or just, I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do?

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

I guess there is going to be a percentage of people who don't get the message that there are no tickets sold at the gate this year. What the hell do you do with people who have the money in hand and travel for 8 hours to get to the gate. "Sorry buddy, didn't you see it on line. Now get the hell out of here"!
There may people who are fully prepared to enter and just forgot their ticket at home. Sorry, tough luck.
There must be some sort of contingency or there will be some crazy gate crashing going on there.

If you're really concerned about those dopes who show up at the gate to purchase a ticket for whatever reason, maybe someone can provide a laptop + satellite internet or some sort of connect to center camp (good luck with that antenna) so people can purchase the ticket online. Otherwise, back to Reno with you. Anyway, people can just buy the tickets from the "need tickets" folk along the way.

Personally, I think it's great to not have cash ticket sales at the gate to get rid of any kind of excuse for ticket-panhandlers (real or fake) asking for money from people in line.

I think there may be some sort of emergency ticket thing that will let people in, but I'm not sure. And yes, there are scalpers in Gerlach. I just don't see many options of practicing compassion without becoming a surrogate mother of some sort.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

I know people had tickets for sale at the Empire Store last year, at least prior to the event. Who knows what the status of the store will be come August. But if you can get your butt to BRC then you sure as hell can turn around and go back to Reno and buy a ticket. But seriously, some of these brain-dead stoned useless dreadlocked unsanitary shreads of human debris (otherwise known as hippies), do we even want to encourge them to come, especially if they're so useless or misguided that they can neither buy a ticket or are praying for a "miracle ticket"? What the hell do they think this is, a Greatful Dead concert?

Dr. Pyro wrote:I know people had tickets for sale at the Empire Store last year, at least prior to the event. Who knows what the status of the store will be come August.

THE STORE WILL BE OPEN and well stocked.

Yes, I saw mention of that in an article Goathead posted on the closing of Empire. Said they were struggling to keep the store open until the BM event. Not sure it implies it will remain open much beyond that though.

JKhttp://www.mudskippercafe.comWhen I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle.Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me.

I read in the article that Monday June 20th : Empire will be gated off, chainlink fence completed, everyone evicted, plant has been closed for awhile. The store got their juice and water from Empire, and Empire owns the land the store sits on. I have not heard if store can run without electricity to run pump and A/C. Blackrock Solar could help them I suppose? Can BRC buy the land and sink a waterwell? Does the veteran who bought the store last fall want to walkout in September? Can BM lease Empire and maintain the houses for USG? Do we want to change the name of Empire to Blackrock City and get our own zipcode? Can we incorporate an abandoned miningtown. Does it sit on BLM or tribal land?

Oldguy wrote:I read in the article that Monday June 20th : Empire will be gated off, chainlink fence completed, everyone evicted, plant has been closed for awhile. The store got their juice and water from Empire, and Empire owns the land the store sits on. I have not heard if store can run without electricity to run pump and A/C. Blackrock Solar could help them I suppose? Can BRC buy the land and sink a waterwell? Does the veteran who bought the store last fall want to walkout in September? Can BM lease Empire and maintain the houses for USG? Do we want to change the name of Empire to Blackrock City and get our own zipcode? Can we incorporate an abandoned miningtown. Does it sit on BLM or tribal land?

edit: I apologise for the drift...

To answer what I know.
1. power is available on the road, the store would have to get their own accoutn.
2. Water was coming from somewhere, I imagine the poiwer could be run to that pump as well on an individual account.

3. The Empire store building is privately owned, the land is owned by USG.

4. The USG lands are held in Fee Simple - Owned outright by USG no tribal lands or BLM involved in empire.

5. Do what with Empire? land up the road is a thousand bucks an acre so its not a steal. The building are ancient...

I was in Empire last week and I learned:
The store will be open with lots of water and PBR, the liquor shelves are well stocked with the type of liquor that will both get you drunk and act as a carburator cleaner.
The owner of the store Tammy Sparkes says that she has electricity and water taken care of and that the store will remain open.
There are numerous rumors about the future of Empire but none of the rumors has been confirmed.

In Gerlach I learned:
The General Improvement district will again be selling water.
Even with the decline in population the school shall remain open with twelve students and three employees.

I've never even been through Empire, just Gerlach . . . but even I'm relieved to hear that, after reading about the history and struggles of the town (last week's article was so sad) and of course reading here how over the years how much people have enjoyed stopping there.